just have to get through the night
by MadHare0512
Summary: The cases with kids were the worst. Since they'd met him, the hardest cases for Monroe and Rosalee were the ones where Nick got hurt and they couldn't protect him. They just had to get through the night.


just have to get through the night

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

**AU: Canon Divergence****, Altered Timeline**

_Nick Burkhardt: Grimm_

_Monroe: Blutbad_

_Rosalee: Fuchsbau_

The cases with kids were the worst.

Nick would inevitably end up at Monroe's house, no matter how late he got out he always made it to Monroe's. It was a promise he never wanted to break. Monroe was always there for him, waiting with open arms for Nick to get there. Every case was hard for him, seeing the worst humanity had to offer was difficult, but it was always the ones with kids that hurt the most. Monroe always knew. Nick may share a house with his old college friend, but Monroe knew him better than anyone else. He and Rosalee both knew him better than anyone else.

The three of them had been together for a few years now since Rosalee came to Portland to help her brother and Nick had met the pair on a case. It involved a robbery in the shop and Nick had been sent to help while the unis were tied up with a double homicide and arson case. His powers as a Grimm had yet to come in, but when they did Monroe and Rosalee were there to help him. And what a mess it had been, Nick going home to Monroe and Rosalee that night and asking if he was going crazy. Monroe and Rosalee had shared a look, Monroe had spoken, "Nicky, we're going to show you something, okay? Just remember, it's still us."

Nick had nodded, then gasped as Monroe woged, instinctively going for the gun on hip he'd put on the table before he'd sat down for dinner as his chair fell in his haste to get away from what had startled him. "Monroe?" he asked.

Rosalee woged as well, tilting her head and Nick took a few more steps back. "What?"

Monroe recognized Nick's recent inheritance the moment they made eye contact and a shudder passed through his frame, "Grimm."

He and Rosalee shifted back and shared another look as Nick asked, "What was that?"

"Nick, we haven't been entirely honest about ourselves, but everything we've told you is still true," Rosalee explained. "We're what's called Wessen. I'm a Fuchsbau."

"Blutbad," Monroe added.

The rest of the night was spent explaining to Nick about the Wessen world and what they were. They explained that they were Wierder Wessen and wouldn't hurt anyone. Nick had spent the next few days away to process this, then came back and explained himself to them. He'd told them he wasn't leaving, but this would take some getting used to, he asked that they be patient.

Monroe and Rosalee had been helping him learn about their world and on cases ever since.

They'd already known that the cases with kids hit the hardest. That was only exacerbated by Nick's introduction into the Wessen world and the death of his Aunt, meaning he was facing this without guidance from another Grimm.

Monroe shook himself from his thoughts as the front door opened and the smell of pure exhaustion hit his nose. "Nick?" he called, "That you?"

Nick trudged into the living room, peeling off his jacket and laying it on the back of the chair Rosalee has claimed long ago. Nick sighed heavily and headed for the couch. Rosalee was taking care of her family in Washinton otherwise she'd be here too.

Monroe took stock. Nick had removed his shoes, gun, and badge before coming to the living room. The coat hanger was being repaired, otherwise, Nick would've put his jacket on that instead on the chair. His skin was paler than usual and he smelled of sickness. Not the normal sick where you coughed, sneezed, and had a fever, though. This kind of sickness couldn't be fixed with human medication.

Nick practically collapsed on the couch, like his legs refused to hold him up any longer. He laid his head against Monroe's shoulder, heaving another sigh. He relaxed marginally and murmured, "She didn't even know she was doing anything wrong, Monroe."

Monroe gently moved his arm, wrapping it around Nick's shoulder, letting the younger man lean into him fully. "It's gonna be alright, Nicky."

Monroe had learned that if left to his own devices, Nick's mind tended to run him into spirals that he couldn't break out of for days. He'd run himself into the ground trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong and what he could've done better, he'd ask Monroe to take him to the woods for more training, demanding more of himself when his body had nothing left to give him. Monroe refused to let that happen. Nick wouldn't be left to sink as long as Monroe had a say in it.

They just had to get through the night. That was all. Nick would be okay in the morning, all tough-guy attitude and fearlessness. The case would bother him for a long time, but it would be pushed to the back of his mind as he reminded himself that the case was closed. Maybe one in a while, another case would reopen old wounds, and Monroe would soothe away the hurt with gentle kissed and hands. But Nick wouldn't let this case bother him for long.

Right now, however, Nick needed cuddles, blankets, and all the physical affection Monroe could give him. So, Monroe pulled his half-asleep Grimm into his arms and carried him up the stairs. Had Nick been himself he'd have protested at being carried, but Nick wasn't himself right now and that was what scared Monroe. "Let's get you cleaned up, Nicky." Monroe let Nick shower by himself, but he did stay in the room after getting Nick's pajamas.

Nick was mostly silent after the shower, save the few times he'd completely frozen and tears had started dripping down his cheeks. Whimpers would spill past his lips then and Monroe would stop what he was doing and hug him hard, letting Nick stave off the tears a while longer. Once they'd gotten to bed, Monroe wrapped him in the blanket and Nick let the tears come freely. Monroe held him until his tears dried. He didn't know how long it was until Nick had cried himself out, but when he did, he lay against Monroe sniffling and taking shuddering breaths.

"Tell me what happened, Nick. Don't leave anything out." Monroe asked, but they both knew it wasn't a question. Monroe knew Nick needed to get all of it out before he went to bed.

Nick nodded, pulling back and wiping at his eyes, "She was just a little girl. The one I told you about, Monroe." He was talking softly, he always did when things bothered him. "We thought it was her father. It started when we went to see the mother. She was hurt badly, she went to the hospital. Domestic abuse cases are always bad, but never this bad. I swear she would've bled out before someone found her. We kept looking for the little girl." Nick continued to tell Monroe about the case, about the bunker and the father disappearing. How the father had gone to see the mother and Nick and Hank finding out the little girl had been the person to hurt those people. How the girl had attacked the family she'd been sent to and, finally, when Nick had called Monroe to ask if he knew someone to handle the girl.

Nick was further exhausted by the time he'd finished, stifling yawns in his sleeve and blinking slowly.

Monroe hugged him closer and sighed, "You're gonna be okay, Nicky."

Nick nodded, "I will."

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Some days, Nick came home utterly exhausted, on the verge of tears, and in need of comfort. Other days, he came home as rampant as a bull, running over everything he could, anger and rage warring in his chest as he struggled to contain the urge to hit someone. On days like that, Monroe forced him into the car and promised Rosalee he'd be back soon.

Today was one of those days.

Nick's case had been pissing him off since they first caught it. More kids, he'd told Monroe after the phone call. Monroe had sighed, thrown out plans of spending the day in bed with his lovely boyfriend and kissed him gently before Nick left.

"Be safe Nicky, I've got a bad feeling about today." Monroe pleaded.

Monroe didn't normally say things like that, so Nick was halfway concerned, but he nodded with a smile and left in his jeep. "I'll be back for dinner," he promised.

Monroe knew he would, even if he couldn't stay long. Nick always kept his promises.

Once the case was over, Nick had come home raging about genetic modification and mothers, so Monroe figured it couldn't have gone well.

"Wanna talk about it?" Monroe asked as he leaned against the doorjamb, trying gauge what Nick needed here.

Nick grunted.

Nope, he certainly didn't want to talk about it.

Then he looked up at Monroe and the Blutbad saw the helplessness mixed with the rage. He knew exactly what to do. He stood and walked over, holding out a hand. "Come on. We're going to the woods."

Nick stared at Monroe's hand for several minutes, then glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow.

In times like that, Monroe could see the Grimm in his lover's eyes. It made him shudder to think about, but not then. "Don't give me that look, Nick. Getting pissed and keeping it bottled up isn't helping anyone, so we're going to fix that. Let's go."

They made it to the car and Monroe drove to the woods. The car was unsettlingly quiet. There was usually someone talking or the radio going, but not today.

They got to the woods and Nick was out before Monroe could blink. From the way Nick's body gave off those fine tremors, he'd say Nick was about to put his fist through the dashboard. Well, just as well they'd gotten there then, Monroe didn't want to replace perfectly good car parts.

Monroe tossed Nick the tape one would use when sparring with a punching bag and began to wrap his hands. "You're angry, right? This case has pissed you off. You're angry and you just want to hit something?" he asked when he was done taping his knuckles.

Nick nodded as he finished taping his hands as well.

Monroe caught the tap the smaller male threw and dropped it into the bag. "Good. If you want to hit something, hit me."

Nick looked worried for a half of a second, but they'd had this conversation before.

_("What if I hurt you, Monroe?"_

_"Oh, come on, Nick, I'm a Blutbad. We heal fast and have excellent reflexes. When you land your hits, I'll be fine. I'm a big boy, I can handle it.)_

Nick huffed out a sharp breath, then lunged. He spun himself around and knocked Monroe off his feet. Monroe could already feel the bruises he'd get from this but it was what Nick needed so he was going to it no matter how hurt he got. They sparred for close to three hours. They'd each won a good number of times and Nick looked more relaxed as time went on.

When Nick called it quits, panting and leaning over with his hands on his knees, he was grinning.

Monroe came over, "Better?"

Nick chuckled a bit and nodded, "Better. Thanks, Monroe."

Monroe pressed a kiss to Nick's cheek, uncaring of the sweat coating his face, "No problem, Nicky. Let's go home and get a shower, you can tell me what happened."

By the time they made it home, Nick had told Monroe all about the woman who'd genetically modified her child before he was born, causing a rift between his true nature and the genetic modification, between Genio Innocuo and Lowen. The Lowen in him refused to back down from the competition, killing people to make the child the best. The mother would regret it for the rest of her life and the child would be in prison for a long time, pending a psych eval.

Monroe hated this for Nick, but it was better for both of them if Nick got all this out. He'd be back to himself in the morning. They just had to get through the night.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

On some days Nick came home in need of comfort. Some days he needed to let out his anger and aggression. On other days, Nick came home white as a sheet and ready to quit his job.

On those days, Monroe would make him dinner and they'd go right to bed. Monroe would spend the night telling Nick stories from his youth, about clocks he wanted to build, and about things he wanted to see one day. Nick would always tell him what had spooked him so badly before the sun rose, but Monroe always knew beforehand. Hank had been giving him a heads up on those nights since he, Rosalee, and Nick started dating.

Tonight was one of those nights when Nick came home ready to quit his job. Hank had called Monroe, letting him know there was a possibility of it being one of those nights. Monroe was just about done with one of his mother's old recipes when the front door unlocked and Nick slowly came in and closed the door.

"Monroe?" Nick called into the house, Monroe heard him taking off his shoes and hanging his jacket on the rack.

"In here," Monroe replied, setting the lid on the pan and turning the heat down to let it simmer. He set a timer and turned as Nick came into the kitchen. "Hey, Nicky."

"Monroe," Nick breathed, wrapping his arms around Monroe and sighing.

"Dinner's almost ready. We can eat, then we'll go to bed." Monroe assured the smaller male, hugging him in return.

"He had pictures, Monroe. Pictures of me, of you, of Rosalee. He was _here_." Nick told him, gasping out another breath.

"Slow down, Nick, take a breath." Monroe demonstrated, watching the Grimm take in several deep breaths. "Good. Now, tell me what happened from the beginning."

"I got a call from the guy who branded the Wessen. He said I was a failure as a Grimm and he commended me on bringing a crossbow. He said there was hope for me because of that.

"He didn't say who he was. He hung up and I went to investigate the case a bit more. We found out about a partner and a van. We found both of them and took the guy to the precinct to interrogate him. We got called out in the middle of it and someone let him go.

"We went to his house to pick him up again, but he was already dead. I got another call, he was angry I hadn't killed the guy when I figured out he was Wessen. When we got back, we had Wu go over the security tapes and he got something off one of them." Nick took in a shuddering breath and Monroe was almost afraid that this would spiral into a panic attack.

"What happened next, Nick?" Monroe prompted after a few minutes had passed and Nick didn't speak.

"In the mirror of the interrogation room, we saw the reflection of Ryan Smulson, the intern who's been bringing you to my desk. We went to his home and met his mother, but he wasn't there. Hank checked his room while I talked to his Mom. When Hank called me over, I wasn't expecting anything that bad. Just something to help us find him." Nick burrowed deeper into Monroe's chest, seeking warmth and comfort. He wanted to feel safe and the only way he could at that moment was with Monroe.

Monroe hummed, tightening his grip fractionally. "It's okay, Nicky. We're safe, remember?"

Nick nodded, "I know." He took another breath, then continued, "I've never seen so many pictures, Monroe. Not even in the stalker cases we've had before. He had pictures of me from a few months before he started at the precinct through today. He's been watching me, he has pictures of everyone I've associated with, of you and Rosalee and Juliette and Hank."

Monroe could smell the tears streaming down Nick's face before he felt then hit his shirt. He hugged Nick harder, "You caught him, Nicky. He can't hurt anyone anymore."

"How did he get around here without you or Rosalee knowing?" Nick asked.

"He was a leech-like Wessen, right? Once those things are woged, it's hard to be able to hear or smell them." Monroe replied, "But when you know what you're listening for, you can hear them easily. No one like that will ever be able to get near the house again, Nick, I promise." Monroe reassured him.

"Okay," Nick replied with a sniffle.

Nick didn't talk anymore that night, but Monroe did everything in his power to reassure him that he was safe in their home. It could take days before Nick stopped looking around before he walked into the house or stopped checking the windows for unexpected visitors, but Monroe would remind him any time he needed to.

They just had to get through the night.

_Grimm~Grimm~Grimm_

Since they'd met him, the hardest cases for Monroe and Rosalee were the ones where Nick got hurt and they couldn't protect him.

Monroe was a Blutbad, it was in his nature to protect the weak. That wasn't to say Nick was weak, God knew Monroe had been on the wrong end of Nick's instincts a few times. He'd looked down the barrel of Nick's gun quite a bit, Monroe knew _very_ well that Nick could protect himself just fine. It was that Nick wasn't a Blutbad or any kind of Wessen, he didn't have claws or fangs to maim or kill. That made the wolf in Monroe anxious and Monroe was helpless to stop it from trying to protect Nick every time it got the chance.

It was in the times that Nick had been on a case without expectancy for a Wessen, or simply to check something out relating to the case, and a Wessen just came out of nowhere and attacked that made Monroe worry and pace. He'd asked Nick many times to just take him along if anything about the case seemed even _remotely_ Wessen related, but Nick had told him (apologetically, mind you) that he'd have to register Monroe as a civilian consultant and even then he wasn't trained to be any kind of police officer.

Monroe hated that he couldn't be there to protect the younger man, but he'd learned long ago not to underestimate him. The lesson was relearned again and again as Nick took on the worst the Wessen world had to offer.

Like in the case of the Jinnamuru Xunte who decided to blind a Grimm, _Monroe's _Grimm. Disregard the fact that Nick was dating a Blutbad willing to do anything to keep him safe and a Fuchsbau who ran a shop for curing the impossible, Nick had the police force, his mother, _and_ other Wessen all willing to go to bat for him. The Jinnamuru Xunte had made the worst mistake. When they brought Nick in the shop, his eyes were already red and swelling with irritation as the red worms feasted on his optic nerves. This wasn't the kind of damage you could come back from perfectly fine. Nick may be able to see, but it was doubtful he could see perfectly clearly.

Monroe rambled away and Nick didn't stop him, either too in pain or truly wishing to know what was going on. Hank was the one to stop him.

Nick's newfound ability presented itself in how he knew it was Rosalee coming in, despite his unfocused eyes not seeing her. It presented itself in the way he knew when Rosalee had found something when even _Monroe_ hadn't heard her. It was there in the way that Monroe talked to fill the silence in the car and Nick spoke up once to say that Monroe didn't have to worry. "We'll fix this, Monroe."

Monroe did a very good job of hiding negative emotions; jealousy, anger, sadness, fear. How Nick had managed to hear the subtle strains in his voice was beyond Monroe, but he was grateful for the comfort. Rosalee had glanced at him in the rearview mirror, looking scared and unsure, two things that should never be seen on Rosalee's face.

Monroe's eyes slid to Nick, who was looking around with sightless eyes, the pupils were blown so wide, there wasn't any color left. Monroe scented the air, and fear hit his nose so hard it made his head spin. Everyone in the car was scared, but the strongest scent was coming from Nick.

The fucker who decided this was okay was going to die. Monroe would make sure of it.

They made it to Casey's house and Monroe was ready to jump out of his skin with anxiety. It was only made worse when they thought the Wessen had gotten past them. Then Rosalee had come crashing through the door and calling for them, "Nick's gone after the Jinnamurur Xunte." Monroe was scrambling after her in seconds, running up the stairs two at a time. He was worried about Nick, he couldn't help it. Nick couldn't see, and even with Nick's heightened hearing the Jinnamuru Xunte was smart and cunning, had to be to subdue his victims.

Nick had his thighs around the Wesson's neck, keeping him unconscious and woged. Monroe would be able to be in awe of that when those _fucking_ worms were gone. Right now, he focused on the task given to him by his other lover, getting the eye as quickly as possible and watching in fascinated disgust as Rosalee chopped it into the paste and spread the paste onto the blindfold.

She looked at Nick, "I'm going to put this on your eyes. It's going to sting." she warned.

He'd cried out when she'd tied it over his open eyes and she'd soothed him as calmly as she could manage. Monroe vaguely heard the Jinnamuru Xunte wake up and crash his way downstairs. Hank went after him and Monroe trusted him to capture the foreign Wessen. He had more important things to worry about.

"Nicky?" he asked when Nick hissed.

"I'm alright. Kind of." Nick gasped, hissing breaths coming sharply through his clenched teeth.

"What's wrong?" Rosalee reached out like she wanted to rip away the blindfold, but that would be counterproductive.

Nick grunted, "The worms." he gasped, "I can feel them dying."

Monroe wanted to gag. He gently reached out and pulled Nick closer. When he got Nick to stand, it was by supporting his weight and letting him lean against his torso. "Let's go home, Rose, Nicky."

They told Hank they'd look after the younger man and have him write an after-action report free of all the Grimm stuff. When the finally got home, Nick desperately wanted to pull the blindfold off, describing the feeling as "worse than the chickenpox he'd gotten when he was 10".

"No, you have to leave it on, Nick. It's there to help you." Rosalee fretted.

Monroe did the smart thing, "Nicky, I know it bothers you, but you can't take off that blindfold." He put all the dominance he could into his voice.

Nick whimpered, "You're going to have to tie my hands." he pleaded.

Monroe nodded to Rosalee as he began to get Nick out of his jacket and shirt, "There's some rope hanging in the kitchen by the door."

She rushed to get it while Monroe gently took Nick's hands, restraining his only remaining way to know where he was going. And that was trust for Nick, to be completely vulnerable to whatever Monroe and Rosalee decided with no way to stop them. The trust Nick was currently placing in them, to protect him while he was unable to see, when he was unable to fully defend himself, was both beautiful and scary. Monroe made a mental note to train with Nick's new ability.

Monroe's thoughts were interrupted as Rosalee came back with the rope and Monroe tied Nick's hands. "And you aren't going to try and get out of these, right?"

Nick leaned forward, resting his head against Monroe's shoulder, "I'll do my best. You'll stop me if I do, right?"

Monroe and Rosalee nodded, "Of course we will."

Monroe led Nick up the stairs while Rosalee took the jar of paste to the fridge. It had to be kept cold, Nick would need it reapplied tomorrow. She also grabbed another jar, just in case.

She slipped up the stairs and into their bedroom, watching as Monroe helped Nick get out of his jeans and into his grey sweatpants. Rosalee stripped down to her tank top and stole a pair of Monroe's sleep pants, taking Nick and guiding him to the bed so they could sit down as Monroe began to get ready for bed as well. He joined them a few moments later. "What's the jar for, Rose?"

Rosalee started to answer but cut off as Nick hissed, squirming and twisting his hands, tugging on the restraints. "Hurts," he got out between strained breaths.

Monroe put his arms around Nick's shoulders, looking at Rosalee. "What's happening?"

Rosalee sighed sadly, "The worms don't want to die any more than you or I do. They'll do anything to prevent that from happening, but the medication prevents most of that. Some of them will try to escape through his eyes. That's what the jar is for, we have to ensure none of them get out of the house. We'd be looking at another case like this, _multiple _cases like this."

Monroe looked at their younger lover and bit back a whimper. "Will he be able to see again?"

"Yes, he'll be able to see once the last of the worms are gone. His body may even heal some of the damage, specifically to the eye itself, but the optic nerve is forever damaged. I can help, but it won't be easy. He's likely going to need glasses." Rosalee replied regretfully.

Nick whimpered again, then the blindfold moved and three red worms came falling into Rosalee's palm. She quickly threw them into the jar and hissed at them, eyes glowing angrily.

Monroe growled low in his chest and rubbed Nick's back. "It's okay, Nicky. It'll be over soon."

Rosalee hummed in agreement and hugged herself to Nick's side, "It'll be okay. We just have to get through the night."

Nick huffed out a sigh as the painful feeling dissipated into mild discomfort, settling against Manroe's hand and Rosalee's warmth. They where right, this would all be over soon and he could work everything else out in the morning.

For now, he tried to get some sleep. He just had to get through the night.


End file.
